50 Things That Terrify Athletes

50 Things That Terrify Athletes

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Many athletes, whether they play at the college or professional level, are automatically assumed to be tough guys. And, more often than not, they probably are to some extent—some to a further extent than others.

Of course, we all know that even the toughest tough guys are usually scared of something. Except for Chuck Norris, who doesn’t have any fears. Fears have Chuck Norris.

A lot of athletes claim they’re not afraid of anything, which is ridiculous. Being afraid to admit at least one weakness technically counts as a fear. Generally when pressed, though, they’ll cop to at least one thing that terrifies them.

And that’s a good thing. Anything an athlete can do to humanize himself will ultimately decrease the chance of him getting pegged in the dome by an errant beer or plate of nachos at some point in his career.

That being said, let’s take a look at a few things that terrify athletes—or at least kinda scare them.

Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

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In an interview with Sam Alipour of ESPN The Magazine, Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera was asked what is his biggest fear on Earth.

Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

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Heat superstar Dwyane Wade confessed his fear of birds on Instagram in October 2013. Wade posted a video of him quietly lamenting a flock of seagulls sitting out on his dock, obviously just waiting to make their move.

Todd Spitzer, Former College Football Player

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Todd Spitzer, a former quarterback at Western Carolina University and the University of Cincinnati, is one of a surprisingly large number of people who suffer from achondroplasiaphobia. Which you may or may not (probably not) know is a fear of little people or dwarves.

*Firsthand Source

Khalif Barnes, Oakland Raiders

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The Raiders’ Khalif Barnes told Athlon Sports that the one thing that terrifies him most is disease. Any and all disease.

James Harrison, Cincinnati Bengals

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Most people would agree that calling Bengals linebacker James Harrison one of the scariest people in the world isn’t a gross exaggeration. Turns out, Harrison is terrified of the one thing on Earth more terrifying than him: Clowns.

Hal Gill, Philadelphia Flyers

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The Flyers' Hal Gill was asked what his biggest fear is by Athlon Sports back in 2012. His response: “Bats, I don’t like bats. I’ve never been comfortable with them. They don’t know where they’re going. They’re blind. They just come by and get in your hair. They’re nasty.”

Marty Simpson, Former College Football Player

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This one may not count as a persistent fear, but Marty Simpson, former University of South Carolina kicker and the team’s first High School USA-Today First Team All American football playerever, gave the best answer of all the athletes I asked personally.

Simpson's biggest fear is a recurring dream in which he has to kick a field goal during a game, but he’s wearing church shoes and a suit! Apparently he still has that dream today, more than 15 years later.

Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies

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You probably wouldn’t know it to look at him, but the Grizzlies' Zach Randolph is terrified of cats. In an interview with Sam Alipour of ESPN The Magazine, Randolph confessed: “I’ve got a crazy phobia about cats. For some reason, I’m always thinking they’re going to scratch me. If a cat walks up, I’m going, ‘Oh no, this dude about to scratch me—I know it!’ Cats scare the hell out of me.”

Riley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper can deal with NFL defenders climbing all over him, but he would freak out if snakes were crawling all over him.

*Firsthand Source

Michael Huff, Denver Broncos

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Awhile back Broncos safety Michael Huff was asked about his biggest fear by Patrick Snow of Athlon Sports. His response was classic and probably pretty relatable to other reformed troublemakers: “That would be my mom. Oh yeah. I was an only child, grew up with my mom. I don’t know if I can say this, but she beat me a few days when I was a bad little kid. I deserved it, obviously. Yeah, mine would be my mom.”

Ronda Rousey, MMA

Many people out there think nothing scares MMA fighter Ronda Rousey, but they’re wrong. According to her, there is at least one thing that scares her. Sayeth Rousey:

“I am really scared of getting camel toe on national television. That just scares the crap out of me. If you notice, I’m constantly pulling my pants down when I fight, because those are some tight little spandex shorts.”

Ilya Bryzgalov, Edmonton Oilers

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In April 2012, Ilya Bryzgalov, then with the Flyers, was asked if he was concerned about facing off against the Penguins. He made it clear that there’s only one animal out there that scares him—and it damn well isn’t a penguin.

Said Bryz, via CBS Sports, “I’m only afraid of bear, but bear in forest.” Apparently he knew someone who was once mauled to death by a bear…a bear in the forest. Russia is so scary.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

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In March 2013, Lakers great Kobe Bryant was asked about the team’s struggles and whether or not he was afraid of failure. Lakers beat writer Dave McMenamin tweeted Bryant’s response: “Kobe when asked about ‘fear’: “I don’t f- -k with bees, man. Other than that, I’m not afraid of nothing.”